Overview
- ESPN-reported terms cut Cousins’ 2026 base salary from $35 million to $2.1 million and add a $67.9 million 2027 guarantee that vests on March 13.
- Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio characterizes the change as a quid pro quo designed to ensure Cousins’ release early in free agency.
- Florio reports the release would likely occur between March 11 and March 12 to avoid the vesting guarantee.
- He also projects a post–June 1 designation that would split roughly $35 million in dead money across 2026 and 2027.
- No transaction has been announced, as the move lands during an organizational reset after owner Arthur Blank dismissed head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot, with Cousins finishing 2025 as starter following Michael Penix Jr.’s ACL injury.